Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes have finally gotten over the hump and won the College Football Playoff National Championship. After ups and downs in his tenure, Day has been doubted but trusted. Is he the best option for the Buckeyes going forward?
Ryan Day Returns Ohio State To Pinnacle of College Football, But Is He the Man To Keep Them There?
Since taking over as Ohio State’s full-time head coach, Day has not lost more than two games in a season. The Ohio State job is considered one of the most prestigious in college football, and with it comes a lot of attention and scrutiny.
Day has been critiqued very hard by fans, the media, and even former Buckeyes, but the way this season finished shows that their current head coach is the best option for the team moving forward.
Day inherited a strong Buckeye team and reached the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in just his second full season at the helm.
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Things got off to a strong start in Columbus. He was well-regarded, and rumors even started to spread of him possibly getting an NFL head coaching opportunity.
Day looked like the perfect coach to succeed Urban Meyer but as the seasons went on, and the wins kept coming, the expectations grew.
Expectations for the Buckeyes became massive, and with some brutal losses in key games, people started to question Day’s job security. Some people in the media criticized his lack of toughness as a coach and his inability to prepare his teams for big games. This criticism came from key losses down the stretch and four consecutive losses to their archrival Michigan Wolverines.
Day’s Struggles In The Game Define His Tenure
The matchup between Michigan and Ohio State is known as ‘The Game’. This matchup is circled on the calendar every year. It means more than just football. It has a cultural impact, unlike any other rivalry in football. It is historic and the stakes are incredibly high.
Day and Ohio State have lost the last four meetings. This is the cause of a lot of embarrassment and slander from the college football world. Most years, it is a clash of two dominant teams and has a legitimate playoff impact; however, in 2024, Ohio State came in as the heavy favorite.
Still, the Buckeyes could not defeat their enemies and this led to the peak of the criticism for Day. This loss was the lowest point of the season for Ohio State and maybe the lowest point in their head coach’s tenure
The Buckeyes had to let this loss marinate for almost a month, as it was the last game of their regular season. They needed to get right and focus on the bigger goal.
21 days later, they went to battle in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes looked sharp and determined. They dominated the Tennessee Volunteers and never looked back. After impressive wins against the Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, they finished their season lifting the ultimate prize and finally silenced the doubters.
The Case For Ryan Day
Day is now a national championship-winning head coach. Ohio State is in a better position than ever. Coach Day has impacted this program in a great way and won’t slow down.
Day has done a great job through the years in recruiting and developing talent. Ohio State is often near the top of the recruiting rankings and does just as well developing these recruits.
Day routinely sends numerous players to the NFL every year. He follows this up by adding just as many stars to his roster through recruitment and development. Day’s use of the transfer portal to fill in the gaps is rivaled by very few. Ohio State is talented and deep every season and it shows both on paper and on the field.
Day is great at building rosters and bringing in the right players. He also does well with hiring the right guys for the coaching staff. The addition of Jim Knowles turned their defense from a weakness to a strength in one season. Ohio State needed a veteran voice to call their offense. Day could have taken this responsibility himself but had the right attitude and did what was best for the team.
He hired Chip Kelly, and it transformed the Buckeyes offense. Day makes the correct personnel and staff moves every year. He has a feel for what it takes to build a contender. He has Ohio State in a position to compete with anyone, at any time.
Day took all the adversity of the Michigan defeat and flipped it upside down. He won when it mattered most and got his team focused and ready to go after the lowest point of his career.
Day is the man for this job and who Ohio State needs leading the way. His ability to get his team on the right path and still steer it in the right direction through adversity proves all the criticism wrong. He has created a legacy at Ohio State and will continue to build on it.
Ohio State is at the top of the College Football world under Coach Day and will continue to build something special.
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